San Diego-bred Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chris Hillman, a former member of such pioneering bands as The Byrds and Manassas, will be honored Saturday with a Best of the West award at the 10th annual FAR-West conference in Irvine.

FAR-West is the Western branch of the national Folk Alliance, whose four-day conference opened yesterday and concludes Sunday. While the daytime events are for registered attendees only, the evening concerts at the Hyatt Regency Irvine are open to the public and tickets each night are $10 per person. Hillman will perform Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with longtime musical pal Herb Pedersen, with whom he co-led the chart-topping country group the Desert Rose Band in the 1980s.

Hillman, 68, is a Santa Barbara resident. He grew up in San Diego and attended his first year of college here before moving to Los Angeles, where he was born, and joining the soon-to-be-legendary Byrds. He first rose to prominence as a member of the highly influential San Diego bluegrass band the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, whose lineup at one point also included future Eagles' guitarist Bernie Leadon.

During his tenure with The Byrds, Hillman co-wrote "So You Want To Be a Rock and Roll Star," which was later covered by Pearl Jam, Patti Smith, Crowded House and others. He was instrumental in helping The Byrds pioneer the fusion of country and rock, a mix he further honed as a key member of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas.

A statement from former Byrds' leader Roger McGuinn will be read aloud when Hillman is honored tomorrow in Irvine.

"He was an excellent musician from the beginning. He came over to The Byrds from playing bluegrass mandolin, we handed him a bass and he adapted really quickly and was really lyrical on the bass. He later emerged as a really great singer and songwriter, so it was an honor to play with him."